Your Baby's Nursery: What You Don't Know Can Harm Your Child

Indoor air quality is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to maintaining health and home. However, if you live in a particularly smoggy urban area, or have asthmatic children, you're one of the many for whom this becomes an even more pressing issue.

Most people assume that if air quality is poor, then you can visibly see it. But the fact is what you can't see is even more dangerous since the problem goes undetected. Dozens of radical elements float unseen through the air and right into your lungs, leading to significant health concerns down the road.

One of the best things you can do for your baby is to ensure the air they breathe is clean and chemical free.

The Mistake Most Parents Make

Many new parents put a humidifier in their baby's nursery. While a humidifier is a good go-to gadget, it may not be ideal for certain regions or homes that already suffer from humidity-related problems.

The alternative may be an air conditioner, but for a baby's delicate system, an air conditioner is far too powerful and will likely provide too much cooling.

The key issue here is air quality - and to get the best air quality, parents may want to consider an air purifier. An air purifier can have a great impact on your child's environment.

Hidden Contaminants

There are a number of airborne contaminants lurking in your home, most of which go undetected because the average home owner simply isn't aware that these dangers exist. These radicals linger in detergents, plastics, and cleaners.

Additionally, there are some materials in the home that are natural allergen magnets, such as upholstered furniture, chairs, sofas, carpeting, and mattresses. These places harbor allergens like pollen, dust mites, and mold.

Considering that most new babies are resting most of the day on such materials, it becomes crucial for parents to become as aware as possible on hidden dangers in their home - and more importantly, select solid solutions to ensure the best air indoor quality for their child's nursery.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Baby

There are a number of steps you can take to ensure the air your baby is breathing is the cleanest possible air.

CleanersIf you've ever whiffed an open bottle of your household wood polish or glass cleaner, you'll have noticed the strong chemical smells. Not only are these cleaners toxic to your healthy, they're considerably damaging to your baby's delicate system. Try using natural cleaners that are both eco-friendly and effective.

WallsWhen setting up your baby's nursery, repainting is a common decorating step. However, before coating your nursery walls make sure the paint you have is VOC free. "VOC" stands for "Volatile Organic Compounds" which get released into the air as paint dries. While long-term effects are still unclear, the EPA has concluded that some VOC's are suspected carcinogens.

FurnitureWhat you put in your nursery is yet another cause of concern. When picking our nursery furniture, make sure you aren't choosing products with formaldehyde. According to the EPA, formaldehyde is a "colorless, pungent-smelling gas (that) can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, throat, and nose, nausea, and difficulty in breathing." The reports go on to show that it has been shown to cause cancer in animals and high concentrations of it may trigger attacks in people with asthma.

LinensWhenever possible, use organic covers on mattresses and pillows. When washing these, try to use free and clear detergents that don't include dyes or perfumes. Make sure you're also washing linens in extremely hot water. Hot water will ensure that dust mites are killed off.

MattressesIf you're in the market for a baby mattress, opt for a latex foam mattress rather than a fibrous mattress (which are dust mite magnets).

Leave shoes at the doorYou're trekking through town all day and then come home and trek through your house - ensuring that everything you picked up throughout the day is now all over your carpets. One quick way to clean up your indoor air quality is to just simply leave your shoes at the door. At the very least, your baby's nursery should be a shoe-free environment.

These are all important considerations when putting your baby's nursery together. While it may seem daunting at first, it's very quite simple when broken down and understood.

While in the old days, simply cracking open a window was enough to get fresh pure air, the rise of smog statistics and pollution means that traditional routes may not be the best. To get a better idea of the air quality in your region, check out the National Air Quality Forecast.

Have you decided that a room air purifier is the best solution for keeping the indoor air quality in your baby's nursery healthy and clean? Click here to see our entire selection - we have hundreds of items in stock.